（外文电子版资料）Charles Sheffield - Godspeed.pdf

GODSPEED Charles Sheffield A DF Books NERD’s Release Copyright (C)1990 Charles Sheffield First published in Analogue, July 1990 The Genizee came. Two weeks later, the Genizee went. The aliens are the most self-sacrificing and noble saviors of humanity that anyone could imagine; or else they are the sneakiest and most evil species in the galaxy, following a diabolical agenda that no human is able to fathom. Which? Marcus Aurelius Jackson, a millionaire, a madman, a genius, and my long-time partner in science and short-time partner in crime, says the Genizee are villains. Everyone else on Earth says that they are heroes. Me, I just dont know. Not yet. But thanks to Marcus, Iwill know. Soon. In the worst case, it may be for just a fraction of a second, before the end. It sounds crazy to say it, but although I think of myself as sane and rational while Marcus is a lunatic who may cause my death and the death of everyone on Earth, Im as bad in some ways as he is—because I can hardly wait to learn the answer. That question— Which?—has been sitting in my mind for four months going on forever, like an internal and eternal itch that cant be scratched. I sit here, waiting for the re-appearance of the television cameras or the end of the world, and I want toknow . In my case it is more than a theoretical issue. I was in the middle of the problem long before the arrival of the Genizee—before their existence was even suspected. More than that, according to the aliens, I and Marcus Aurelius Jackson are the reason that they came to the solar system—came, just in time to kill the dream. In my case, itwas a dream. In Marcuss case, it was an obsession. I argue that there is an important difference between the two, though perhaps no else would agree. Let me go back to the period BG—Before Genizee. Before the aliens popped out of nowhere, most people thought that the worlds space programs were going well. The United Stat